A Maharashtrian should get a chance to become PM: Pawar

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) It is time for a Maharashtrian to get a stab at the prime minister’s chair, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said Friday. “There is a feeling among the people of this state (Maharashtra) that a number of states got opportunity like Andhra, Gujarat, Karnataka (to occupy the prime minister’s office). So Maharashtra should get opportunity as well,” Pawar told a TV channel.

That was, however, contingent on the party having enough parliamentarians.

“One should not think of becoming prime minister when you are contesting from limited number of seats. If my party is contesting hardly 30-35 seats in the entire country, how can anybody expect that he (the leader) can take the responsibility to lead the…nation with such a small number,” Pawar said.

Pawar’s NCP is an important ally of the ruling Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Talks for a pre-poll alliance in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha election between Congress and NCP are going on.